1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accessory mounting platform for firearms. More specifically, the invention is a tactical foregrip assembly that provides a dynamically positionable foregrip in combination with an independently-positionable light assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Public safety and military personnel are often faced with the need to safely arrest and remove persons from structures that contain multiple rooms. Such room clearing operations, however, can be and often are life threatening situations in which an operator is vulnerable to receiving fire. Operator position, visibility, and time are critical in such operations.
Typical foregrip and accessory mounting systems do not allow the operator to rotate the grip or light so that the operator may optimize his or her position behind cover. For example, in a typical accessory mounting system, an attached light assembly is permanently mounted on a bottom rail or on one of two side rails affixed to the firearm. When mounted on a bottom rail, the weapon sling can often interfere with the projected light, which would require the operator to divert his or her attention from a threat or threat area to repositioning the sling. When mounted on a side rail, the orientation of the light causes unnecessary exposure to the operator when circumventing corners. For example, if the light is mounted on a left side rail, to negotiate a left turn (e.g., a 90-degree left turn in a hallway), the firearm must be positioned far enough into the hallway to allow the light to be projected down the threat area. If the operator desires to align an eye with the firearm sight, this results in increased exposure to the operator, who must rollout the firearm as well as his or her body around the turn further than in a well-lighted area. The same problem occurs when if the light is mounted on a right side rail and a right turn must be negotiated.
Similarly, the typical foregrip is fixed in a vertical direction. To drop to a maximally-prone position using a firearm with such a fixed vertical foregrip, the operator typically assumes a “rollover prone” position where the operator is laying sideways with one hand positioned underneath the weapon. This, however, alters the flight path of the bullet as it would be fired from an upright firing position. For example, a gun sighted in at one hundred yards in an upright position, when fired in the “rollover prone” position (e.g., aimed and fired sideways by the operator), must be aimed above and to the side of the target.